 |
There are as many ways of
manipulating graphics and displaying information as there
are imaginations but there are some conventions people
have come to expect on the web. Easy to find navigation. Contact
information in the navigation structure, or at bottom of the
page. And sites which display across a variety of browsers
and platforms.
Since portfolios are often used to develop ideas, I've divided
this into the challenges our customers have faced, and the
solutions we've found for them.
Let's begin with a seasonal business. The problem? Keeping
the site constant through the changing seasons gives it a
static and unmanaged look, which doesn't inspire confidence.
The inexpensive solution? The splash page.
The splash page has seen some evolution since the days
when it was nothing more than
one huge graphic. Today, splash pages are still graphic
intensive, but they take into account search engine optimization
techniques and come in a wide range of visual styles.
The splash page is a bold statement, and the salvation
of a business on a budget that needs to update their site
on a seasonal basis. Let's take each of these examples in
turn.
|
Blair
Manor uses both a splash page and rotation
of their internal images and pages to update on a seasonal
basis. This is an excellent example of a web which has
been evolving over a couple of years, and now includes
a unique marketing tool: a "treasure tour"
as part of the experience they offer guests. |
|
|
The
Honeywood Inn uses double entry pages and color
to promote their inn. The index page flows into the
virtual_visit
and then on to pages about the rooms.
Note that each page is, in essence a splash page, which
uses text and graphics to promote the property. |
|
Personalized-PT.com
is an extensive site designed to educate new
clients, prevent injuries, offer advice if you have
injured yourself, and even provides patient forms as
PDF downloads. The site has sections for new runners,
including recommended stretches, as well as basic terminology
for those just entering physical therapy. The site is
rounded out by patient comments and experiences in their
own words. |
|
Dream
Vermont.com is designed to showcase the Lamoille
County area for people interested in making the move.
The site is designed to work with GatewaytoStowe.com
and the Lamoille Economic Development Corporation's
site (seen below) and is a refreshingly honest look
at work and living in the Lamoille County area. |
|
Lamoille
Economic Development Corp's site uses a changing
top banner to bring life in Lamoille County to life
and serves to promote the area as well as the mission
of LEDC. |
|
The
New England Icelandic Sheep Breeders Association
is designed to promote the breed, the life of farming,
and the member farms. Using drop down menus, rotating
PHP scrips and an extensive library of information on
the breed, the site will have you hankering for sheep.
Or at least a nice pile of wool to knit this winter! |
|
The
Thouron Award is a bold site built several years
ago, and still timelessly classic. The Thouron site
incorporates a bbs system so Thouron Fellows can leave
messages for one and other, and a form for directory
updates. Since the Thouron Award owned no art and had
a tight budget, this site is built completely out of
clip art. |
|
HarborSail
offers charter boats, captained day sails, and sailing
lessons out of Baltimore. This site uses a nice little
rollover to pop up a secondary graphic over the background
image, and again, represents a site built on a modest
budget. The owner delivered the graphics and text all
at once, making sure the graphics were in .jpg format
and the text was text... not formatted text from a Word
document. For his trouble he got a site that went up
in a matter of a week, and was quite reasonably priced. |
Want to see more? We have catalogs..
or more examples of webs
Additional Articles:
Investing In You: Budgeting for a Website
The Web Worksheet: Designing Your
Site
Carried Design: Save Money... Build Brand,
through thoughtful design
|
|
brochure sites 
Welcome
to OrbWeaver's Business Resource Lab
